Advice from dog groomers please.

[madlady]

I'm after some help/advice from any existing dog groomers please

I have very recently been made redundant (with a very good deal) and have taken the scary decision at the age of 50 to do something completely different and am going to try my hand at dog grooming.

I have the training booked and will be doing C&G and should have all that done by the end of July.

I am thinking of going mobile at first, probably looking to get a fully kitted out van on finance as I also need to carry on paying a mortgage so want to keep bulk spending from my redundancy to a minimum. The aim would be to move to some form of premises eventually though.

I know it will be hard work, which I'm not afraid of, but obviously at the training places they tend to just tell you the good stuff and not any pitfalls.

Any experience anyone is willing to share will be most gratefully received but I suppose my most urgent question is realistically how long will it take me to get up and running and able to earn a reasonable living? I know it will take a couple of years till I'm at the stage of doing 8 dogs a day but what is realistic after say 6 months?

Also anything to really avoid? I'm looking to do pet grooming not show clips or anything like that.

Is hand stripping worth it?

Are bigger dogs worth it?

Is there anything to avoid?

Thanks

 

[wkiwi]

Not I can be that much help, but one of my friends was a dog-groomer for decades. She made a good living from it but did it from home

- if you do mobile then you would have the hassle of bathing dogs in the van - specially adapted of course. Her and her husband did this for a while but it was too much hassle - you need to get water from the owner, as well as power, and you have to wait for each dog to blow dry instead of getting on and starting the next one (of course, some won't be having a bath and dry as well but a lot will). Also factor in running costs for the vehicle which ended up quite high. And have a 'no-one-there' fee for when you turn up and there is no one home because they forgot the time/day.
She also did show dogs so not sure how viable the business would have been if she only did pets. And she did big dogs too - she just charged more i.e. they were based on time to do size-wise.
Don't let people get away with leaving their dog double the time and still wanting to pay the same (e.g. the price of a poodle/type for a 12 week cut needs to be double the price of its 6-week cut as it will be twice the work, plus make sure your customers know it will be extra if it is matted and filthy too).
With a mobile service you might some extra business from a wash only service (without clipping/drying). When kitting out your van, make sure you get a walk-in dog bath, otherwise you will do your back in lifting them in and out in a very short space of time.
How long it takes you to make a living depends on your area and how good you are. If there are a number of other groomers in your area then you will find it a lot harder to get a customer base than if there are none. It also depends on your reputation, particularly with difficult dogs as my friend was brilliant and so she was always very popular (and yes she did charge extra to start with until she had them standing nicely).
Make sure you have really good insurance for both dogs getting injured while you are handling them, and for getting bitten etc. as if you cannot work for a bit with a hand injury you will not only lose the income but customers can go elsewhere in teh meantime and not come back.
If you haven't done a dog before then ALWAYS ALWAYS triple check the type of clip they want for pet dogs (i.e. if it is not a standard clip) and have photos handy to show what the dog will end up like afterwards. Especially if dog matted (as people expect miracles). Some people don't know what they want and don't like the results (actually, think of all the things that people complain about with a hairdresser and that should about cover it).
Otherwise, the only thing i remember her saying is that it gets a bit boring after a number of years.
Good luck with your new business.

 

[madlady]

Thank you good point on the charging more if it has been longer between trims! Also about the pictures - I'd never thought of that

I'm looking to get a fully kitted out van - it has a bath with a ramp, hydraulic bed, dryer and it's own water tank, the only think I need from the owner will be a power supply and apparently there is enough water to do 8 baths per day for small/medium dogs.

There are quite a few groomers in the surrounding areas but only 1 mobile and the ones nearest to me are full and not taking on any more dogs, there are a few others who have waiting lists as well which is why I'm hoping there will still be room for me to carve out a living.

After working with managing people for the last 20 odd years I'm looking forward to spending my days with animals.

I've got insurance quotes in place ready to go which covers injury to the animals and myself plus quotes in place for the van itself which seem reasonable. I'm starting to get nervous now though trying to think of everything and hoping I haven't missed anything - next on my list is to set up website

 

[Equi]

My friend did the course and has now set up a small shop at her home, just a hobby really, thankfully shes well off enough to do it that way, but she loves it. She does hand stripping too and does get a fair few people asking for it. She only takes small to medium dogs and they generally stay at her house most of the day running round like terrors with her other dogs, but all go home happy and pretty.

 

[madlady]

My friend did the course and has now set up a small shop at her home, just a hobby really, thankfully shes well off enough to do it that way, but she loves it. She does hand stripping too and does get a fair few people asking for it. She only takes small to medium dogs and they generally stay at her house most of the day running round like terrors with her other dogs, but all go home happy and pretty.

Thanks, I'd love to be able to do it from home but I don't have the space or a private garden - it's shared between 4 houses.

The info about the hand stripping is really useful - I was told at the training centre that there wasn't a lot of call for it but I'll make sure now that I can do it to a good standard.

 

[Equi]

Thanks, I'd love to be able to do it from home but I don't have the space or a private garden - it's shared between 4 houses.

The info about the hand stripping is really useful - I was told at the training centre that there wasn't a lot of call for it but I'll make sure now that I can do it to a good standard.

Deffo do. Better to have the knowledge and not need it than the other way around. For the likes of huskies, shepherds, kelpies and other breeds of that sort of coat, (poms, poodles, wire types etc) its invaluable. Some people love the coats of their dogs as they are, esp if they are show dogs etc.

 

[oldie48]

I've always had border terriers and have been very happy to pay a premium for good hand stripping as I wouldn't consider anything else.

 

[rara007]

I am not a groomer but work closely with a couple. 2 that do do big dogs and 1 that can’t due to previous injury. There’s not masses of demand for the larger dogs but probably averages 1 a day (generally they do 8 in total a day). They also do a cat about once a week. Hand stripping is similar in that probably only 1 every few days requests it but I do think it’s a skill you need. So many of the breeds should be stripped to show Id just expect a groomer to be able to do it.

 

[Clodagh]

I've always had border terriers and have been very happy to pay a premium for good hand stripping as I wouldn't consider anything else.

MIL had her younger one clipped out last year, I do see why as her coat does not pull well and she bites if you try to do it. She looks awful now and has to be reclipped quite often. So I vote for handstripping!

 

[madlady]

Thanks everyone - I've requested additional training and practice on hand stripping.

 

[tda]

We have our parson Russell terriers done locally, we did start with hand stripping but now just have wash and clip. You have to be able to do it very well , quickly or the dog ends up sore and angry!
Most round here don't do hand strip.

I know lots of people who have done the training, a few did set up, but now closed, others must just be doing private , friends etc.

 

[minesadouble]

My daughter has trained to be a dog groomer, she did level 2 at college and level 3 at a grooming school. I know that she would most definitely advise training at a grooming school rather than a college. I'm certain you have to do a hand strip as part of your level 3 and/or diploma (my daughter definitely did) so you will be sure to get some experience of hand-stripping while you are training.

 

[PucciNPoni]

Good luck with your training. My advice, research your school options well. Go and visit the places. How do they treat the dogs, do they offer a proper qualification? There are two now you can choose from, C&G as well as ICMG.

Yes to handstripping. Yes to handscissoring. Both are niche but well worth the experience because places that only teach you to shave off aren't really teaching you much. Yet you must learn to do that as well, and do it well.

Been grooming some 15 years now, and my answer to big dogs - if you can afford to not do them then don't. Your back will thank you later.